2020… A Year Like No Other…

By Andy Yang 9G
Hello readers and welcome to… Oops sorry… Please wait a minute… Windows Starting…

Now that’s better. Welcome to the Windows Diary Program of 2020, a year that no computer has
ever experienced.

It started off way before 2020. I was given to this kid, Andy, as a school laptop back in 2019. I have to
admit, he wasn’t a very good owner at first, I was dropped and banged so many times. As time
passed, I felt that I was one of the fortunate ones. Some of my fellow mates had stickers all over
their faces, blinding them. Others contracted viruses that made them sick so they had to get treated
at “IT”. Some of them never came back.

But enough of Andy – let’s get to the point. It’s March of 2020, after Andy’s skiing trip in Japan and
most of Term 1, which is always smooth and easy. Little did I know I was going to have my work cut
out for me this year.

21st of March 2020

It’s is late-march now, and I’ve a lot on my plate. I’m not the only one. The world has changed, more
than you could ever imagine.

Last December, a virus was reported to be in the city of Wuhan, China. Barely several months later,
the whole world is on edge. Here down under in Australia, we’re in a lockdown. Things that have
been taken for granted by Andy and his family have been restricted, or worse, disallowed. Andy and
his family, however, isn’t too fussed.

Just like The Walking Dead (a TV show Andy likes), toilet paper, tinned food and grains are being
fought over in supermarkets, vanishing quicker than supermarkets can stock them. Scary indeed!

School too, has also changed, Andy has taken me into his workroom for online learning, using a
program called Microsoft Teams, which sounds awesome!

5th of July 2020

HELP! PLEASE! We are in another lockdown but our situation this time is dire. We have so many
people with COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease of 2019, as it first appeared in 2019) in our state every
day.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

13th of July 2020

Online lessons have started up again for Term 3 amid this ever-increasing crisis. Trust me, they are
so boring! There is no point in doomsurfing (My Def: the act of consuming a large quantity of
negative online news at once) these days as there is news of death and sickness wherever you look.
On the other hand, Andy is relaxed about the lockdown. He recently downloaded a program called
Bluestacks where he can play games while in class. Cheeky!

11th of August 2020

Is this lockdown ever going to end? I’m near death. I can feel it in my circuits. I’ve got a terrible
temperature and I feel so sluggish. Andy’s been learning online while playing games AND streaming
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, all at the same time! I’ve already fainted once or twice. When will this
fever break? PLEASE Andy!!! GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

25th August 2020

Phew… I’m feeling much better now. Andy has developed a system to lower my temperature while
multitasking tirelessly himself. Lately, Andy has taken to dripping droplets of cold water onto my
forehead to keep me cool while not damaging my circuits. The droplets are then evaporated and
replenished my Andy, who is being bored to death by online learning and rejuvenated by Bluestacks,
which is like a block of ice on a hot summer’s day. I must admit, it’s a great system! Thanks Andy!

5th October 2020

Finally!!! There’s light at the end of the tunnel. At least, that’s what TV, one of my friends, has said.
I’m not entirely sure what it means, we haven’t been in a tunnel… In fact, we’ve barely left the
house! But I take it as a good thing.

29th October 2020

We are out of lockdown and back in school! YES! Andy has received his grades during the lockdown
period and the marks were great. With all that “multitasking”, don’t ask me how. Meanwhile, he is
studying hard to get into Melbourne High, a selective entry school. I really hope he gets in!
Inevitably, I must sadly call an end to this diary (or else I’ll have no more storage!). I have to go!
Andy’s shutting me down…

Windows shutting down… THE END